Abstract
BackgroundDevelopment assistance for health (DAH) is one of the most important means for Japan to promote diplomacy with developing countries and contribute to the international community. This study, for the first time, estimated the gross disbursement of Japan’s DAH from 2012 to 2016 and clarified its flows, including source, aid type, channel, target region, and target health focus area.MethodsData on Japan Tracker, the first data platform of Japan’s DAH, were used. The DAH definition was based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) sector classification. Regarding core funding to non-health-specific multilateral agencies, we estimated DAH and its flows based on the OECD methodology for calculating imputed multilateral official development assistance (ODA).ResultsJapan’s DAH was estimated at 853.87 (2012), 718.16 (2013), 824.95 (2014), 873.04 (2015), and 894.57 million USD (2016) in constant prices of 2016. Multilateral agencies received the largest DAH share of 44.96–57.01% in these periods, followed by bilateral grants (34.59–53.08%) and bilateral loans (1.96–15.04%). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was the largest contributors to the DAH (76.26–82.68%), followed by Ministry of Finance (MOF) (10.86–16.25%). Japan’s DAH was most heavily distributed in the African region with 41.64–53.48% share. The channel through which the most DAH went was Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (20.04–34.89%). Between 2012 and 2016, approximately 70% was allocated to primary health care and the rest to health system strengthening.ConclusionsWith many major high-level health related meetings ahead, coming years will play a powerful opportunity to reevaluate DAH and shape the future of DAH for Japan. We hope that the results of this study will enhance the social debate for and contribute to the implementation of Japan’s DAH with a more efficient and effective strategy.
Highlights
Development assistance for health (DAH) is one of the most important means for Japan to promote diplomacy with developing countries and contribute to the international community
Health focus area was based on purpose codes for sector classification defined by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) [22]
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) accounted for majority of the DAH contribution (79.99%, 2016), with Ministry of Finance (MOF) (10.86%, 2016) and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) (9.13%, 2016) following in that order
Summary
Development assistance for health (DAH) is one of the most important means for Japan to promote diplomacy with developing countries and contribute to the international community. The promotion of UHC to ensure that all people receive quality health services they need without financial hardship contributes to the development of human resources and security [1]. At the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VII) held in Yokohama, Japan in August 2019, the Yokohama Declaration 2019 was adopted to promote a robust and sustainable society for human security in Africa region, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 as well as UHC [3]. The DAH can provide a way for donors and recipient countries to benefit and share global prosperity [11]
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